Night after Nightmare
by songbardbird
Summary: The gang goes on a mission involving the last free Hork Bajir. What results after the mission affects Rachel the most. Chapter 6 is up!: The last chapter! Tobias comforts Rachel after the battle. RT Please read and review!
1. The Discussion

"Oh great," Marco said. "We have a .1% of survival. Why don't we just all just jump off a really tall building instead?"   
4 humans, one red tailed hawk, and one alien disguised as human were sitting in a barn. The Animorphs. They were discussing their mission and Ax had just calculated that they had about a 1 in 1000 chance of winning.  
"Really?" Cassie looked up. "Only .1%?"  
"Don't listen to him Cassie," Rachel said. "He did fail Algebra last year."  
"Hey! I resent that. That's only because I swear Ms. Bassel is a Controller but none of you believed me."  
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Marco, if every teacher that failed you was a Controller, the entire Teacher's Union would be infested with Yeerks."  
An interesting idea Rachel. said Tobias in thought speak. She smiled up at him.  
"What is this Teacher's Union? Nion. Is it race we should be wary of?" Ax enquired. He had morphed human just in case Cassie's parents came into the barn.  
"Yes Ax," Marco laughed. "Be afraid, be very afraid of the ominous Teacher's Union. They will suck your souls out and replace it with..." he paused dramatically. Ax leaned in eagerly. "KNOWLEDGE!!" Marco cried. Everyone laughed, even Jake.  
"Human humor I assume." Ax said dryly  
"No Ax, that's what we call "Marco Humor"," Rachel said. Marco stuck out his tongue at her.  
"Ok people can we focus on the mission here?" Jake called, but he was still smiling too.  
"What exactly is the mission?" Cassie asked. "I mean we know the basics but what else do we know?"  
"Other then the fact that there's only a .1% of surviving." Marco grumbled.  
"The mission," Jake interrupted, giving Marco the evil eye. "Is this."  
He went on to explain that Erek the Chee has informed him that Visser Three and his compadres had just captured many more Hork Bajir from the planet Libertas. Apparently they had escaped during the invasion of Yeerks long ago.  
"But that doesn't make any sense," said Cassie. "Wasn't it a proven fact that all Hork Bajir had been captured? I mean that's what we heard, right? The entire planet infested, the entire race defeated?"  
"Yes, Cassie is right." Ax replied. "The only free Hork Bajir left are the ones in the Valley."  
"That's what you would think, wouldn't you?" Jake said grimly. "But Erek is sure. And it makes sense too. His source says that all the free Hork Bajir the Visser has just captured are seers."  
"Seers!" Cassie gasped. "But how?"  
"Erek didn't know." Jake replied. "But his theory is that when the Hork Bajir were being attacked, the Seers left somehow. Maybe escaping with technology that only they knew about."  
"But that doesn't make any sense," Rachel interjected. "I mean, that doesn't exactly seem like Seer behavior to me."  
Rachel's right. Tobias agreed. Look at Toby. She's a seer and there is no way that she would ever abandon her people. Usually when you are smarter then your entire race you wouldn't run. You would fight.  
"That's not necessarily true," Cassie said thoughtfully. "There have been many times when the most intelligent part of a species will do anything to survive. Like humans for instance. I think that if only intellectual people knew that a meteor was about to hit earth, they would try to find some way to escape."  
"The law of the Jungle." Marco stated. "Eat or be eaten. Only this time it's run your butt off and not get eaten."   
"I believe both of you are right." Ax spoke. "Perhaps some of the Seers did stay and fight, maybe for their people, maybe not. They might have thought that the intruders would spare them because of their unusual intelligence. Ence."  
"But when the others saw their fellow Seers being taken anyways, they must have fled." Cassie mused.  
So it wasn't an act of cowardice, it was an act of-  
"Defeat." Rachel finished softly.  
"Yeah," Jake said after a minute of silence. "Yeah, that's what Erek thought too."  
No one talked for a while, they were all imagining what it would be like to be put in the situation the Seers had been put in. A choice would have had to be made. Would you stay and fight and risk infestation with their brothers and sisters, or would they flee. Flee with a sense of guilt and shame. A choice the Animorphs themselves have had to face, and perhaps in the future face again. Finally Marco spoke.   
"I don't think it really matters how the Hork Bajir got to planet Libya or whatever-."   
Libertas. Tobias interrupted. It's Latin for freedom. Rachel looked up at him surprised, but with a knowing smile on her face.   
"I don't care if it's Latin for Donut," Marco replied. "The point is, we have to get them out of wherever Visser Three is holding them."   
"Are you sure Marco," Rachel teased. "There is only .1% chance of winning."   
"I'll take my chances." Marco retorted.   
"Jake," Cassie started. "I have a question."   
"I have an answer." Jake said simply. Marco snorted, Cassie ignored him.   
"What if we're too late? I mean why wouldn't Visser Three infest them already and get it over with."   
"I..I don't know." Jake admitted. Marco snorted again.   
"I can answer that," Ax said. "As you know Seers have more brain power then any of their fellow Hork Bajir, but they also have more brain power then humans and possibly...well possibly Andalites."   
Marco feigned a gasp. "What?! Something smarter then Andalites???"   
"I never said they were smarter than us." Ax sniffed. "I simply said they had more brain power."   
But what does that mean? Tobias asked.  
"It means that they can resist the yeerks not physically, but mentally. Their brain is strong enough to block memories, orrries, that would be harmful if the Yeerks found out."  
"So there's no point of infesting Seers because they wouldn't give up any information anyways." Cassie stated  
"Correct," Ax agreed. "They would have to take more extreme measuuuures to extract information. Shun."  
"Like what?" Rachel demanded. "At this point, I don't think threatening to take away their family, their friends, even their home isn't an issue anymore. They've lost everything."  
"Correct," Ax said again. "Everything except their lives."  
"You mean..." Cassie started, her voice incredulous.  
"Yes," He nodded. "Torture. The price of death if the Yeerks don't get the information they want. After years in hiding, the Seers will probably do anything to stay alive."  
"Well in that case," Rachel got up and stretched. "Let's kick some Yeerk butt!"  
"Ugh I hate it when she says that," Marco groaned.  
They all laughed. But all of the sudden Tobias whipped his heard toward the barn door.  
"What is it Tobias?" Rachel asked, the only one who had noticed.  
Jake you better cut it short He replied Cassie's parents are on their way to the barn. They'll be here in five minutes, max.  
"Alright then let's take a quick vote." He said briskly. "I'm in. Cassie?"  
"Saving the last of a free species from an evil alien race? What do you think? Of course." She replied.  
Jake smiled. "Alright a yes from Cassie. Ax?"  
"I will do whatever your will is, Prince Jake."  
"Well my will is that you're in. And Ax? Don't call me Prince."  
"Yes Prince sssss Jake."  
Jake sighed. "Ok, Rachel?"  
"I'm in."  
Me too Tobias said before Jake could ask.  
"Why does Bird-boy always side with Xena?" Marco muttered to himself, thinking no one heard him. And no one did except for Tobias. And Rachel, who then punched Marco lightly on the shoulder. Well light for Rachel anyways.  
"Ouch!" Marco exclaimed, holding his shoulder. "What was that for?"  
"Oh nothing" Rachel said, smiling sweetly.  
"Marco, you in?" Jake asked.  
"Hmmm, let's see. We have a .1% chance of winning. Which basically means I have a better chance of getting a date with Rachel, and that's saying something. Sure why not? It's not like I have anything to do this weekend anyways." Marco replied.  
"Good, it's unanimous then. Since tomorrow is Saturday we'll do early." Jake said. "Meet at the barn around...let's say two. After lunch, before dinner. Tell you're parents we're going on a picnic or something. Agreed?"  
Everyone nodded.  
"Alright. Get some rest guys, you'll need it"  
They got up and slowly filed out of the barn. Cassie went over to her parents and distracted them while Ax demorphed and morphed again into Harrier behind the barn. Jake and Marco morphed into their birds of prey too and flew away. All that was left were Rachel and Tobias."  
"So," said Rachel. "You sleeping tonight?"  
Probably not. Tobias replied You?  
"Nah," Rachel said. "I never sleep before a battle. But I do have a ton of math I need to catch up on."  
Need some help?  
"Sure. I'll see you tonight then?"  
Yeah, see you tonight, Rach. Tobias said and flew away.  
Rachel smiled and watched him fly until she couldn't see him anymore. Then she turned and walked home, waiting for night. 


	2. Night

A/N Ah! I was so surprised to get a review...Thanks! I know my formatting is weird but my computer is messed up so I don't really want to download anything right now. Well here's chapter two, enjoy! Please review! Oh and sorry if the font is big..

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Animorphs...that is except 29 books..hopefully I'll get some more!! :)

"Find the square root of what now? Oh yeah, 26. Ok so first multiply the number by itself, then add the square root and you get...no! Ugh! I HATE math!" Rachel griped to herself.  
She had been working on the same stupid problem for ten minutes and she wasn't getting any of it. Algebra was definitely not her favorite subject. But then again, neither was English, or Science, or...well she didn't seem to like anything in school these days. It wasn't because she wasn't smart, she had won the Packard award in spite of everything. But the war with the Yeerks had taken its toll on her. Lately, it's been all she ever thought about.  
_I have to save the world from freaking mind-controlling aliens!_ She thought bitterly to herself. _Can you blame me if I don't really care about Math right now?_  
Not to mention there was no way she could tell her mom about why her grades were slipping.  
_Oh yeah like that would go well._ She thought _"Hey mom, I got a C in science because I'm in the process of fighting an alien race..." Yeah, right.  
_ A tap on her window interrupted her thoughts. Tobias! She tried not to seem too excited as she dumped her book to the side and got off the bed.  
"Hey." Rachel said to the faint outline of a red-tailed hawk. She opened up the window and he came fluttering in.  
Hey. he said. What's up?  
"Nothing. Just trying to figure out some impossible problems." She rolled her eyes. "Do you know anything about square roots?"  
Probably. He replied. There's some killer thermals over by the park, and a ton of kids hang out there. A lot of them do their homework and I've got nothing else to do but watch.  
She smiled. "Do you ever try to help them?"  
I've had to refrain myself a couple times. He laughed. Especially when I know that they're doing it wrong.  
"It must be pretty boring though," she said softly. "I mean who else would say they read math problems for fun?"  
Oh it's not just math problems. People are reading all over there. I've read some great chapters lately. He joked.  
Rachel gave him a smile, but it looked more like a frown. He sighed.  
Look Rachel, it's not exactly a piece of cake, but what other kid could say he can fly? You know how amazing it is, you've been up there with me. There's no way I would ever give that up. He paused and looked at her, his fierce predator's eyes meeting her equally fierce blue eyes. At least for now, ok?  
"I guess." She said skeptically.  
There was a slight awkward pause where both of them just looked at each other. The wind softly breezed in, making Rachel's hair shift away from her face, and ruffling Tobias' feathers.  
Well what are we standing around here for? He said, forcing his voice to be light. Let's do some math!  
"Yeah, yeah ok. Let's." Said Rachel, plastering a big smile on her face.  
She shut the window, made her way to the bed and sunk down on the mattress. Tobias flew over to a lamp hanging over her head, and perched on it. Even though it seemed like he was far away, his hawk vision was able to see the individual threads in her comforter. Rachel picked up her math book, and turned to the page her notebook had been in.  
"Ok," she sighed. "Let's get down to business. I need to figure out how to-."  
Oh you're just doing that? He interrupted, looking at her notes.That's easy!  
"Oh thanks." She grumbled. "I really appreciate your modesty."  
He scoffed. Oh be quiet. It's really simple. Just listen.  
For the next ten minutes he tried to explain what he called a "relatively effortless" problem. Unfortunately, it wasn't so effortless to Rachel.  
"Ugh! I'm right back where I started. No, actually I'm behind where I started. You're explanation has caused a dumbering!  
I don't think that's a word Rachel.  
"See!?"  
Look, just calm down ok, I mean-  
"No! Don't tell me to calm down," She said frustratingly. "There's no way I'm going to be able to get this by you telling me. I wish you could show me or something but I don't think you can write with your talons!"  
I could morph. He offered. Human, obviously.  
"I don't want to make you morph." She said quietly, looking down.  
You wouldn't be. Look, it's not that big of a deal. he said, flapping to the ground and beginning to morph. Plus you're right. Most people learn better by being showed how to solve something, not told. They've done studies on-   
His thought speak stopped immediately when he was done morphing. Now he was fully boy, no longer a hawk. His dirty blonde hair hung over his dreamy eyes. Sometimes, when Rachel looked into those eyes, she wished that he were just a normal boy, normal enough for her standards anyways. But he had been a normal boy, long before this all happened, and she probably wouldn't have given him the time of day. So what changed?  
"Guess I need a haircut." He said, shaking the hair from his face.  
"And some pants." Rachel said, suppressing a laugh.  
Tobias looked down. He was completely naked, other than a pair of old superman boxers, his morphing outfit. He remembered when he put them on, right before the battle that trapped him in a hawk's body almost forever. They were supposed to be his lucky boxers.  
"Oops, sorry." He said, turning red, and wrapping his arms around himself.  
"Nah, don't worry about it." She laughed. "I think Jake left some old clothes here the last time he stayed over."  
She went over to her bottom drawer and dug around. Sure enough, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a gray tee shirt.  
Rachel wrinkled her nose. "They're kind of out of date, but I guess they'll do." She threw them over to him.  
Tobias smirked. "No Rachel, I can't wear these." He mocked a gasp. "Gray! That will never go with my eyes!"  
"Ha, funny boy," she said. "If you want, I'll just take those back and you can sit in your underwear."  
"For the sake of my body temperature, I guess I can deal." he joked  
"Please do." Rachel said primly. "Ok now back to math."  
She sidled up to the bed and sat next to him. She was about to pick up her book, but then noticed that he had goose bumps on his arms and was shivering slightly.  
"You cold?" She asked.  
"Yeah, a little." He admitted. "It's been awhile since of been in human morph."  
She reached down a pulled up an afghan from the ground, throwing it on their legs.  
"Their," she said. "Is that ok?"  
"Yeah," he said, moving a tad closer to her until their knees were touching. If Rachel noticed, she didn't say anything.  
They worked on math for a while, relishing their time together. It was nice to have these quiet moments, when they weren't worrying about their next mission. Tobias caught himself looking at Rachel while she was working on a particularly trying problem. Her face was set on concentration mode, and she bit her lip while she calculated some numbers. He took in her gorgeous blonde hair, and her stunning body. Everything about her was perfect, she was the entire package. Tobias remembered the time when she told him that some guy asked her out but she turned him down. In all actuality, it probably had happened more then once, so why had she turned them down? Did she really care about Tobias? In all his dreams, he never thought that he would be sitting with the most popular girl in school, in her room, on her bed even!  
_I bet guys would kill to be where I am right now._ He thought to himself. _But maybe that's why Rachel lets me come over here. Maybe she thinks I won't be one of those guys who will go after her.  
_ It was too much to think about. Finally, Tobias realized Rachel was talking to him and snapped out of his thoughts.  
"Hello? Is Tobias in there?" She asked, waving her hands over his face.  
"What?"  
"You were staring at me." She said simply.  
"Oh, sorry." He said, shaking his head. "It's a hawk thing."  
"Right." She said, smiling. "Anyways, I finished my math. It's really easy now that I get it."  
"See, I told you." He teased.  
"Yeah, well thanks." She said, and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek then bent down and gathered her books up. He couldn't help himself. He broke into the goofiest grin and tried to suppress the urge to jump for joy. He knew it wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek, right? The thought that Rachel liked him as more then a friend was killing him. He had to get out of there before he did something stupid like profess his undying love to her or something. He glanced at the clock. It was late.  
"Hey," he said. "It's been really fun, but I'm getting tired and I only have about fifteen minutes left in my morph."  
"Okay," she said, looking up. "Thanks again."  
"Yeah no problem." He replied, then looked down and realized that he still had Jake's old clothes on. He started to take the shirt off and was stopped by Rachel.  
"Whoa, what are you doing there Tobias?"  
"I'm stripping for you obviously." She gave him a look, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm giving back the shirt, duh"  
"Oh." She said. "Well then, proceed."  
He snorted, and took the shirt off the rest of the way. Then he unbuckled his pants and took them off too. Before Rachel could say anything, he immediately started demorphing back to hawk. When he was done he flew up to her desk and waited there until Rachel got up and opened the window."  
"I'll see you tomorrow, k?"  
Yeah, see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams. And with that, he flew out the window and into the night.  
She closed the window and yawned. It had been a good night. But of course any night spent with Tobias was good. She smiled as she remembered his "morphing outfit."   
"I should have made him stay in his underwear," she said to herself, still smiling.   
Then she packed up her things, and got ready for bed. That night she didn't really sleep, but slipped in and out of the planes of consciousness, thinking of Tobias, and realized she had the strangest desire to cut his hair.


	3. Shoveling Manure

A/N Hey everyone! I hope y'all had a fab weekend; I was away so that's why I haven't updated. Thank you SO much for all the reviews...they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...:) well here's chapter 3. It was originally going to be a battle scene but then I realized I had no idea how to write one...AH! So I decided I would do a little bit more dialogue. This chapter is dedicated to Natalie because she wanted more Jake and Cassie...well here you go!  
  
It wasn't the favorite part of her job, but she had gotten used to it. At first the smell had overpowered her and she could only take small shifts with her parents. The dirtiness hadn't bothered her until she hit puberty. She was no Rachel, but something about being knee deep in cow poop didn't exactly appeal to her then. Now, it was just part of what she did, part of her life.  
Cassie sighed and dug her shovel back into the pile of manure. Yes, this definitely was not the favorite part of her job. But on second thought, it was better then fighting the yeerks. Cassie was different then the others. The rest of the Animorphs enjoyed a good fight. Cassie didn't think that any of them liked going into battle, except maybe Rachel, but the battles had grown on them and grudgingly they accepted them as part of their lives, just as Cassie had accepted shoveling manure as part of hers. Except she had never accepted the battles. To her they were all awful and hellish experiences. Cassie was a pacifist, someone who was against war. If it had been any other conflict she wouldn't have joined a side. But this wasn't just any war. She and the four others had watched as Elfangor had been ripped apart by the mouth of the Abomination, Visser Three. Before that, Cassie had just been a normal teenage girl, frustrated by her parents, doing massive amounts of homework, and trying to get up the courage to talk to her long time crush, Jake.  
The thought of Jake made Cassie stop what she was doing. Jake, oh Jake. Out of all of them, she felt like Jake had lost the most. Of course they had all sacrificed something in this terrible war. Jake's brother, Tom, and Marco's Mom had both been made in Controllers. The only difference was that Tom's yeerk, though loyal, had no rank, none that was of importance anyways. But Marco's Mom was Visser One, which was the highest- ranking official of all yeerks, other then the council of thirteen of course. The Animorphs knew that one day they would have to come face to face with Visser One, and Marco would have to either die himself or watch the shell of his Mother die.  
Cassie shuddered. What a terrible fate, to have to kill your own Mother. She thanked God every day that her parents hadn't been made into Controllers. But then again...who knew? They never knew who wasn't a Controller only who was.  
She picked up her shovel and resumed her work, thinking of all the battles they had fought, everything they had lost. Tobias had lost so much, his own body even! But sometimes when Cassie watched him fly or heard him talk, he seemed a lot happier as a hawk which came as no surprise to Cassie, considering what his life was like before. But nothing could ease the pain of learning that Tobias' true father was Elfangor himself, the one who had gave them their morphing powers. Rachel was the only one he had now, Rachel and the others.  
Cassie paused, thinking of her best friend. Rachel; the blond, beautiful, super chick. Sometimes it seemed to Cassie that Rachel needed this war. She wasn't the mall-rat gymnast anymore, she was a warrior. Rachel had lost a lot too, not physically but mentally. She had lost her innocence, her naive ways. But Cassie had too, they all had. They were just kids when this all started, they still were. All of them, including Ax, had felt like they had aged at least 5 years. But it seemed to Cassie that Jake had aged the most. When she looked at him, he seemed like a 30 year old, not a teenage boy.  
_It's not fair, he should be worrying about pimples and grades!_ Cassie thought furiously to herself. _Not about saving the world!  
_ She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when Jake came casually strolling into the barn. Cassie, still thinking about how much life sucked now that the yeerks were here, wasn't paying attention and still angrily shoveling manure. Unfortunately, her aim wasn't so good when she was angry.  
"Woah Cassie!" Jake yelled, narrowly missing a cow pie that was flung in his direction.  
Cassie gasped and turned. "Oh my God, Jake! I didn't even see you there, I'm so sorry!"  
Jake laughed and walked over to her.  
"What are you doing here?" She asked. "The meeting isn't till two, and it's only," she paused and checked her watch. "Eleven. So what's up?"  
"I dunno." He looked around the barn, absentmindedly. "I just thought I would come over and keep you company." His eyes sparkled a little when he said that, and Cassie had to turn or else she was afraid the red blush that was spreading up her cheeks would give her away. She walked over to the barn wall and took off a pitchfork.  
"Well, I'm afraid I'll have to put you to work." she said, and handed it to him. "So, pre-battle jitters?"  
"Nah," he said, shoving the fork into the mound. "We've had so many, I don't really get nervous anymore. But this is an important one right? One worth fighting?"  
Cassie smiled a secret smile. She knew exactly why Jake was here. It was the same reason he always came over. He wanted to make sure that this was okay with her, this battle.  
"Jake, any battle we fight is worth it." Was Cassie's simple reply.  
"I guess," he said. "You hate this don't you? Hate fighting."  
Cassie stopped and leaned her shovel to the side. She turned to him slowly, contemplating the words before she said them. Finally, she spoke slowly.  
"Yeah, a little." she said. "I mean you know me, Ms. Tree hugging nut, right? But sometimes we have to do stuff we hate."  
Jake smiled a little, but then all the sudden his smile faded, and for a split second, Cassie swore he looked like he was about to cry. He let his pitchfork drop to the ground.  
"I'm so sorry Cassie." He said in a barely audible whisper. "For making you go through this. It's not fair."  
She took a few stops towards him and tentatively wrapped her arms around him. He kind of flinched but didn't back away. If it had been anywhere else, with Marco cracking a joke or Rachel rolling her eyes, Jake would have pulled away and laughed it off. But here, where they were alone, it didn't matter.  
"It's not your fault Jake." She said, resting her head on his shoulder. "None of this is your fault."  
He breathed in deep and then gently slipped out of her arms.  
"I hope so," he sighed and leaned up against a post.  
"Can I tell you something that really scares me?" Cassie asked him. Jake nodded and she continued. "I don't dream anymore. Everyone else has these crazy dreams, nightmares even. But I never dream about battles, or anything bad that happens. Never."  
He looked at her, surprised.  
"Do you think that's bad?" She asked. "I've thought about it for awhile, and the only reasonable explanation is that I've lost all feelings of guilt. I mean, why else wouldn't I have nightmares?"  
She looked down, afraid that he was about to agree with her. But to her surprise he almost started yelling.  
"Cassie! Of course not! When you lose your sense of guilt we're all screwed. You are the one who carries the guilt for all of us." He said forcefully. "I mean I'm not saying that none of us feel guilt, but I know you feel the most, and even though that kills me it also comforts me to know that you always will have that."  
"But why don't I dream?" She said, almost pleadingly. "What's your explanation for that?"  
He paused and thought for a moment. "Well everyone dreams Cassie." He said. "It's a proven fact. Maybe you just don't remember your dreams." Then his face lit up, proving that he had come to some sort of conclusion. "Maybe..."  
"What Jake? Tell me." she said, seeing that he had paused.  
"Well maybe your dreams are so terrible your brain actually suppresses them."  
Cassie thought about it for a minute. "That doesn't make me feel any better." She admitted.  
Jake shook his head slowly. "Yeah, me either." He replied. "But there always has to be an explanation." Then he picked up his fork from the ground and started working again.  
After a while, the others came in. First was Ax, punctual as ever, and then Tobias right behind him. Marco came in jogging from his run, and Rachel was last, late in fact.  
"Sorry I'm late." She said briskly. "My Dad's forgotten what being on time means."  
"That's alright Rachel." Jake said wearily. Cassie looked at him with concern. Neither of them had talked to each other after the others had arrived, for all they knew, Jake had come in just before.  
"Alright, let's review our situation." He said. He explained their mission again, capturing the free hork bajir seers from Visser Three, and discussed the tactics to get in.  
"They are held in a room surrounded by an intricate alarm system. Ax thinks he can de-program the thing, and get them out of there so he's our techy."  
"What is a tech, teckyyy, eeee?" Ax asked.  
"It's a computer programmer." Marco replied. "I consider myself one."  
"Ha!" Rachel scoffed. "You are a gamer Marco. Someone who wastes his life playing badly written computer games and going by the name StudlyMan117 trying to pick up poor, unsuspecting girls."  
"How could he pick the girls up if he is not physically near them?" Ax asked before Marco could come up with a snappy comeback.  
It's a figure of speech, Ax-man Tobias answered. Picking someone up means asking them out on a date or something along those lines.  
"Oh and I'm sure you're the expert on that Tobias." Marco rolled his eyes. "The only things you pick up for a date are mice and rabbits."  
That, and the occasional Eagle. Tobias replied. Rachel smiled but no one seemed to notice the obvious use of a metaphor, except for Cassie that is.  
"Anyways," Jake continued. "Since Ax is our only hope in busting these Hork Bajir out, we need to cover him. Rachel, you're on battle morph along with me. Cassie and Marco you'll cause a distraction to get us in and then join us later. Tobias, you'll be our eyes in the skies. Everyone got it? Good."  
"Let's do it!" Rachel yelled her signature phrase.  
"Oh crap," Marco joked. "Now we're screwed."  
They morphed slowly into birds of prey and left the barn. The air was buzzing with anticipation as if it knew that a battle was coming. The last thing Cassie remembered before she left the barn was Marco's calculation of only having a .1% chance of winning. She certainly hoped he was wrong. 


	4. Saving the Seers

A/N Oh crap, the battle scene. I sat at my computer for at least ten minutes and thought to myself, how am I going to do this???? Well, here it is. Be gentle, and review, oh and thanks for all the great reviews!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Animorphs, but if I did Tobias would be my love slave...cough  
  
And so they flew. Flying had always been an enjoyable experience, but right now their minds weren't on that "killer thermal," as Tobias would say. They were flying to an abandoned warehouse about 10 miles west of their town. Erek the Chee and told Jake that the building would be heavily guarded with human Controllers told by Visser Three to shoot down anything thing that moved. As they neared the compound, a rotting smell wafted up to them.  
What is that smell? Rachel asked, disgusted. They all looked down, trying to find the source of the scent.  
Oh my God. Cassie gasped. Then they all saw what she was so stunned about. Over to the side of the warehouse was a pile of animal carcasses about three feet high.   
Every single kind of forest animal that you could possibly imagine is on that pile! Marco said. Skunks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, there's even some bear!   
Rachel's heart skipped a beat when she saw what was on the top of the pile. Birds of Prey. she whispered. Look there's falcons, eagles- wait, isn't that illegal?   
Well, the Yeerks haven't exactly been known to follow rules. Jake said grimly.   
Guys look, Tobias said. Look how many red-tailed hawks there are. They looked down to see at least five red-tailed hawks atop the pile. These woods are filled with hawks. He continued. The Yeerks must have had a field day.   
And they must have seen you enough to know that a red-tailed hawk during a battle isn't a coincidence. Cassie said. So they're seeking you out.   
They're seeking all of us out. Rachel said, with a hint of rage in her voice.   
Alright, here's what we do. said Jake. He could tell they were close enough to be seen by the Controllers and he didn't want any of them to end up on that rancid pile. Land and demorph. Then we'll figure out what the hell we're going to do to get past these guys.   
They all did what Jake said, and soon there were four kids, one red-tailed hawk and a strange looking creature that was a cross between a deer, scorpion, and human standing in the woods with nothing but their morphing outfits on.   
"We should really get costumes." Said Marco in bike shorts.   
"What, you think you would look better in a costume?" Rachel teased. "I could totally see you in a full purple body suit along with a cape, with the letter "A" on your chest...the amazing Marco."   
"Yeah, well let's not forget about you." He retorted. "I see cat woman meets Trinity. You can never have enough leather."   
"Oh yes, let's just kill some more cows while we're at it." Cassie said dryly. They all had a good laugh, but then it was time to get down to business.   
"Jake, how are we going to get past them?" Cassie asked. "They'll kill anything that comes out of the woods or sky."   
"Bugs?" Marco suggested.   
No, I saw a ton of bug sensors and bug-spray activators. Tobias said. No mice either. There was about a million traps down there.   
"There's no lakes or anything either so we couldn't do dolphin and sneak up from behind." Rachel sighed. "We have no morphs that are capable of doing this, unless we just do blunt force."   
"No that's not a good idea," said Jake. "We want to keep up our strength to fight the guards inside. Erek said that there would probably be a lot of Hork Bajir Controllers guarding the Seers, and Visser Three is probably in there too. We want to strike before the Human Controllers have a chance to call for back up."   
"Skunk?" Cassie recommended. "I don't think that even the Yeerks can defend themselves from its spray."   
"No, there was a skunk on that pile. They wouldn't give it time to spray." Jake replied.   
"So now what, it's a bust?" Marco asked. "We go back home and do something normal for a change?"   
"No way." Rachel said defiantly. "There's no way I'm backing down from a mission this soon. We have to save those Seers."   
"Not to mention all of the innocent animals that are dying." Cassie said softly. "If we get the Seers out of here, the Yeerks will have no reason to suspect us coming back and they'll stop killing animals that they think is us."   
They'll probably just leave the building all together. Tobias said.   
"So what do we do?" Marco asked again.   
They all stopped to think for a while. No animal they had ever morphed could do the job. Jake entertained the thought of having Rachel and Tobias morph into Ket Halpak and Jara Hamee the first Hork Bajir they had freed, but he decided it would be too risky. Finally, Ax spoke up after being silent the entire time.   
I believe there is one animal that can do the job   
"Wait," said Cassie, not letting him finish. "Don't say any digging animal because the floors look pretty hard through the windows."   
I wasn't going to say that. He said. Although that could be an option. No, I was going to say snake. I believe Marco had morphed a poisonous type snake and could strike the Controllers fast enough. (A/N I'm not really sure if Marco has a snake morph, but we'll say he does.)   
"Cool," said Marco. "I'm down with that."   
I have a problem with that. Tobias said. I don't think he should kill the Controllers without them being able to fight back. It doesn't seem right.   
"You don't seem to have a problem with killing mice that are defenseless." Marco scorned.   
"That's different and you know it!" Rachel replied angrily. "That's killing to live, this is just killing."   
"They would do the same thing to us!" Marco pointed out.   
"Yeah, well we're not evil." Jake replied   
"Anyways Tobias, He wouldn't have to kill them." Cassie said, getting everyone to calm down. "I'm pretty sure that Marco can control the amount of venom that comes out and will only stun the Controllers."   
"Fine," Jake said pointedly. "Marco, morph snake. Just make sure not to put too much venom in the guy's leg, okay?"   
Marco nodded, already starting to morph. They all watched as he slithered away towards the building. There was silence. Jake strained his eyes, but couldn't see far enough to tell what was going on.   
"Tobias?" Jake asked.   
Yeah I see him. He replied. He's coming up on the guys right now. There are five guards on the side he's on. They don't see him. More silence.   
"Now what?" Jake asked again.   
I'm pretty sure he just struck the first guy. He has to work fast though. I think the other guys would be a little suspicious if their friend just dropped to the ground. Oh! He did it. All controllers just fell.   
"Are they breathing?" Cassie asked.   
Tobias jerked his head, a very bird-like movement. Yeah I think so.   
All the sudden they saw a silver snake gliding towards them.  
Well that was a piece of cake. Marco said smugly.   
"Ax, how many minutes did that take?" Jake asked.  
Approximately five of your earth minutes, Prince Jake.  
"Good," Jake replied. "Let's try to get to the seers as fast. In and out, that's are goal. Let's go. Battle morphs."   
Tobias took the sky and the others morphed except for Ax. Jake to tiger, Rachel to bear, Cassie to wolf, and Marco to gorilla. Their typical battle morphs. Then they made their way to the front entrance.   
Tobias, how are we looking? Jake called   
Pretty good from up here. Tobias called back. No one knows about the down Controllers yet.   
Let's do it! Rachel yelled. And they rammed down the door. At first there was nothing, No one seemed to notice they were even there. The hallways were empty and about an inch of dust were all over the floor.   
Well if it's this easy to get in, let's hope it's this easy to get the Seers and get out of here. Said Marco.   
And then the world exploded. Hork Bajir from all corners of the room ran in. There were at least 30 of them. Huge, tall aliens with razor-sharp blades at their wrists, knees, and ankles. Not to mention their two huge horns on their heads.   
Oh. Shit. Said Rachel. And then she attacked.  
"Hooooooooooaaaaaaarrrr!" She roared, slashing at a Hork Bajir with her claws.   
Jake attacked two of them with his huge jaw and Marco swung around the room, letting the Hork Bajir chase him. Ax was doing the most damage with his tail, but all together they still weren't enough of a match for them. Then in the middle of biting a Hork Bajir's arm, Cassie saw out of the corner of her eyes a red-tailed hawk come tearing down.   
"Tseeeeeeeeeer!" Tobias screamed, raking one of the Hork Bajir's eyes with his talon.   
Phwap! Ax's tale slammed into a Hork Bajir. Then another, and another! Another Hork Bajir mortally wounded by Cassie's jaw. Another by Rachel's claws. Down came Tobias again, blinding a Hork Bajir. And then, the tables were turning! The Animorphs were winning this battle inside a battle. Rachel slashed the last standing Hork Bajir. It keeled over. Then, there was silence.   
There's a lot less Hork Bajir then there were to begin with. Marco commented.   
The others must have run to get back up. We don't have much time. We have to find that room that the Seers are being held in. Jake said.   
They started walking towards the doors, carefully trying to avoid the fallen Hork Bajir.   
Are they all dead? Cassie asked softly   
No. Tobias answered. This one is alive at least. I believe the others are dead though.   
Then Jake had an idea. Find an empty room guys.   
Found it. Said Rachel, pushing the door open. It was rather large and held various boxes. It was probably used for storage.  
Good. Jake said emotionless. Cassie and Marco, drag that Hork Bajir into the room. The rest of you follow them.   
It was rather cramped in the room, even though the room itself was very spacious. They were all itching to demorph. Luckily for them, that's exactly what Jake had in mind.   
I'm going to demorph and acquire this guy. Marco, Cassie and Ax you should too.   
They all demorphed except for Tobias, Rachel and Ax, and then acquired the dying Hork Bajir. When they were finished Jake continued.   
"We'll all morph Hork Bajir including Rachel and Tobias. We'll pretend that we're Hork Bajir Controllers and the Visser has told us to switch duties with the guards. Then we'll get the Seers and get our butts our of here." Jake sounded tired.   
"What about this one?" Cassie asked, looking down at the Hork Bajir they had just acquired.   
"He saw we were human Cassie. If we leave him, he might be able to survive and tell the Visser we're humans. We can't take that chance." Jake said, speaking the words they all knew were true. "Ax?"  
They turned away as Ax raised his tail but they could all hear the terrible noise as Ax slit the Hork Bajir's throat. Cassie blinked back tears.   
Jake sighed. "Ok everyone morph Hork Bajir." He said.   
Since Rachel and Tobias had already morphed Hork Bajir it was easier for them to get control of their morphs. It took the others longer, but finally they were ready to go. The stomped out of the room as fast as their long taloned feet could take them until they met up with some other Hork Bajir Controllers.   
Just act natural. Jake said in thought speak. We're Controllers just like them.   
"Where are the Seers." Jake grunted bluntly. "The Visser has told us to take over guard duty."   
The Controllers didn't even break eye contact. They simply waved their large arm over to a small door, and walked away.   
We definitely have to move fast. Tobias said. They were walking in the direction we just came from, which means they'll find those Hork Bajir we just fought.   
Jake nodded and pushed open the door roughly. Inside the room was a huge cage filled with Hork Bajir but their eyes were different then the dumb look in normal Hork Bajir's eyes and the blank look in Hork Bajir Controllers. These were the Seers. They had only met one Hork Bajir Seer and that was Toby, daughter of Ket Halpak and Jara Hamee. Rachel smiled inwardly as she thought of what it would be like in the Valley if they could get the Seers out of here. Toby would finally have someone to talk to. Also inside the room was six mean looking Hork Bajir guarding the Seers. Jake sauntered up to one of them.   
"The Visser has told us to take over for you. You may go."   
One of the Hork Bajir looked up with a questioning look on his face.   
"I am the leader of this group and the _Harash_ never told me that." He said, speaking part of his native language.   
"_Harash_ doesn't waste his time on us." Jake said, mimicking the guard. "Why else would I willingly want to guard these filthy creatures?"   
The Hork Bajir guard considered this for a moment and nodded. He signaled to the other guards and they slowly filed out of the room, leaving the keys to the cage on the table. The leader paused and turned to Jake.   
"Make them scream." he said maliciously and walked out of the door.   
Jake had to restrain himself from attacking him right there. The door closed. They were quiet for a moment and then Jake signaled to Ax.   
My name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-Ishthill and I am one of the Andalite fighters. Ax said.   
All of the Seers immediately snapped their heads up.   
I am here to free you along with my friends. We know of a Valley where there is other free Hork Bajir such as yourselves. There is even a Seer there as well.   
Jake picked up the keys from the table and unlocked the door. One of the Seers tentatively pushed on the bars and the door swung open.   
We can take you to this place but you must hurry. Ax continued. There are guards all around us, and sooner or later they will figure out we are not Controllers.   
One of the Seers stepped forward.   
"My name is Har Kley," she said clearly. "And I am the leader of this group. We will gladly cooperate with you."   
Marco snorted, as best a Hork Bajir can. The idea that the Seers would refuse escape was rather funny.   
Alright let's go. Said Jake in private thought speak. Ax nodded and ushered the Seers out. Tobias, morph to hawk, you'll have to lead us to the Valley.   
Tobias morphed to hawk. Har Kley gasped.   
"We know of Andalite morphing technology." She said. "But have you come up with new technology that can let you morph from morph to morph?"   
We will explain later. Said Ax briskly. Now we must go.  
But it was too late. The Controllers had found the 5 unconscious guards in the front and the twenty-some dead or wounded Hork Bajir in the room. They were waiting for the Animorphs when they opened the door. And so was Visser Three.  
  
A/N duh Duh DUHHHH!! sorry to leave you hanging but it's like 2 am and this chapter had started to get reaaaaaaally long. I'll update soon I promise! and don't worry, I'm not like one of those mean people who only updates when the get a certain number a reviews...that's way uncool. But please review! 


	5. Run

A/N Okay I think I'm going to have one more chapter after this. Thanks for all the reviews...and here's the conclusion of the battle...  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Animorphs...but if I did I would make the TV show go on DVD so I could buy it and actually watch it, to see whether it sucked or not....  
  
Previously on "Night after Nightmare" The gang tries to save the Seers (hence the chapter name) and are about to escape when they are stopped by Visser Three and his friends...what will happen? Read to find out....  
  
For a moment, there was just silence. No one really said anything but everyone tensed up, ready to strike. Visser Three took a step forward with his stolen body. His tail wasn't raised up to fight, but was lazily dipping towards the ground. He showed no fear, only contempt towards the hidden Animorphs.  
A trying situation. He sneered. You, want my Seers, and I cannot allow that. I am not sure if you are the Andalite bandits, or a group of Hork Bajir who have some how escaped my grasp. But mark my words, this is the end of the path no matter what you are.  
He turned to a group of Hork Bajir and started conversing with them. The others were left waiting.  
What course of action should we take Prince Jake? Ax asked.  
I think I can take the three big ones. Rachel said boldly.  
No one do anything. Jake replied. The way I see it, they won't try to feed us to the Taxxons because we could just slice them in half. Ax, how much time do we have left in our morphs?  
Approximately fifty-four of your minutes. Ax replied.  
Visser Three turned back and faced them. These Hork Bajir will escort you to your quarters until I figure out what to do with you. But believe me, it won't take long.  
The Hork Bajir grabbed each of them roughly by the shoulders and started moving them down a hall.  
Don't fight back. Jake advised, looking at Rachel who was about ready to chop her "escort's" head off. Just let them take us wherever they're going to take us, and we'll figure out a way to get out.  
"What about the Seers, _Harash_ sir?" One of the Controllers asked. Visser Three waved him away.  
Take them with. It is time we begin the information retraction process. He replied.  
More Hork Bajir Controllers came in and took hold of the Seers, following the line of the others holding the Animorphs. They walked through the door and began descending down a long corridor. They turned once and then stopped outside a room.  
"You." One said roughly, pointing at Tobias and Rachel. "You look different. You will come with me."  
Two other Controllers grabbed Rachel and Tobias by the shoulders and filed away with them.  
You have 50 minutes left in morph. Ax called back to them.   
Be careful. Jake advised. Don't do anything stupid. We'll find a way to meet up later.  
The others watched until Rachel and Tobias disappeared from view. Then a Controller stepped out of the group and started to talk.  
"The Seers will come with me." He said. "The rest of you, whatever you are, will go with him." He pointed to a menacing looking Hork Bajir with large scars over his head. The Hork Bajir signaled to his men, and the group split up. The Seers were thrown in one room and across the hall from them were the Animorphs minus two of their members.  
Jake, what are we going to do? Asked Cassie worriedly, as soon as the guards had stepped out. They weren't worried about the mysterious Hork Bajir escaping because there were cameras everywhere. They have Rachel and Tobias, not to mention the Seers.  
Yeah, not to mention us. Marco griped. What did the Visser mean by "information retraction process," anyways? It sounded very Bond-like.  
I believe that's a fancy word for torture, Marco. Cassie snapped. I mean, that's what they're going to do to them, right Ax?  
Yes Cassie that is correct. Ax replied. They must receive the information from them somehow.  
Receive, escort. It feels like we're more at a Garden Party then in a prison. Said Marco.  
I think the Visser's confused. He doesn't really know what to make of us. Cassie mused. We could be the Andalite Bandits, but we also could be a group of Hork Bajir that has been freed. If he didn't have that other option, I think he would have just killed us.  
Well thank goodness for that other option. Jake said. Now let's figure out how to get out of here.

  
  
"HOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!" Rachel screamed.  
Um Rachel? I don't think they're going to let us out if we're loud. Tobias said. They were both locked up in a tiny room definitely not made for two Hork Bajir. Probably not even made for one. They had been thrown in by the Controllers, and were now waiting, contemplating their fate.  
It's not like I have anything else to do. She grumped.  
We should probably figure out a way to get out. He said matter-o- factly.  
No really? she replied. I think we could just hang out here awhile, ya know, see the sites, wait to be KILLED.  
She was stopped be a shrill cry in the distance. It sounded like a scream crossed with a sob. It was heart wrenching.  
The Seers. Tobias said softly. They must have started the torturing process.  
Oh God. Said Rachel horrified. Tobias we have to get out of here! I mean, what if it wasn't a Seer. What if it was one of the others? What if we're next?  
Okay, okay. Tobias said, trying to think. I don't think it could be one of the others because the Visser still doesn't know who we are. In any event, it might be us pretty soon cause he probably wants to find out. I can't see anything with these damn eyes but I think there are cameras in the room. He paused for a breath. Tobias didn't talk much and when he did he wasn't spitting out battle plans.  
I say we go out there and kick their butts. Said Rachel.  
You always say that. Tobias said. She whacked him with her tail.  
Ow. He replied.  
Anyways, if you're right about cameras, we can't morph or else they'll find out we're human.  
Correction, they will find out you are human. He said. I can demorph and cause a distraction or something. First of all because I shouldn't be able to morph from one form to the next, second of all, well, we'll be loose. Can you take them do you think?  
She scoffed. What do you take me as, Marco? Of course I can take them.  
He smiled as best a Hork Bajir can smile. Okay, here's the plan. I'll demorph and call to one of the guards, saying we want to give ourselves up. Since we're "different" from the others, he might believe it and- He paused angrily. Ugh, Rachel there's no way this is going to work! And I'm not pitting you up against at least five Hork Bajir guards!  
She sighed. I know it's risky but...  
No, we have to think of another way. I know we can get the others out but I can't think of how to get down to their room.  
How can we get them out? Rachel asked.  
I'm pretty sure that all codes on these doors are the same. Right before we were thrown in here, I saw the guard punch in a four-digit number, 4837.  
Look Tobias, we don't have much time left in this morph. And though being a Hork Bajir is cool and all, I don't really want to end up as one. So I think we should use your plan but you won't demorph and we'll fight together. Then we'll haul butt down to the others room as soon as we can and free them.  
He nodded but still looked worried.  
Don't worry. She assured him. We'll be fine. We're unbeatable.   
He took this into consideration and then nodded.   
Let's do this. She said.   
He took a raspy breath in and then concentrated hard. GUARD! He threw his thought-speak out to only the guards by their room. There was no use attracting anyone else's attention. Rachel pounded on the door.   
"What do you want prisoner?" Came the guard's muffled reply. "I see you are an andalite bandit though."   
That is true, I am. Tobias replied carefully. But we are not what you think. My friend and I are willing to cooperate with you in all means necessary. We are willing to give up our friends in the other room.   
There was silence for a second, as the guards seemed to be conversing with one another.   
"I told you they were different then the others!" The guard cackled. "Alright prisoner, we may believe you, but we're not dumb enough to open this door."   
Suit yourself. Tobias replied. But we're not telling you anything unless you open this door.   
The guard considered this for a moment. "Fine," he said. "We'll open the door, but we have ten guards here who could chop you to bits in a second."  
We don't plan to resist. Tobias said.   
Like hell we don't. Rachel muttered.   
They waited until the guard opened the door. And waited. And waited. Tobias looked at Rachel quizzically and she returned the look.   
Did they fake us out? Tobias asked.   
Why would they do that? Rachel wondered. They were about to open the door, weren't they?   
Tobias didn't reply. He had his head leaned up against the door, listening. I can't hear anything. Tobias said. That might be because Hork Bajir's ears aren't very powerful, but I'm pretty sure the guards are gone.   
We're still locked in though right?  
Tobias pushed on the door. Yep. He replied.  
Then all of the sudden there was a rustling noise outside. Rachel whipped her head over to Tobias'.  
Did you hear that? She asked. He nodded, concentrating.  
They waited and pretty soon they heard footsteps approaching their door. Tobias and Rachel both tensed, preparing for the worst. The electronic sound of buttons being pushed was heard and then their door slowly cracked open. Rachel took a brave step forward and opened the door. Hork Bajir bodies met her eyes. At least a dozen, sprawled out on the floor. But this didn't look like the work of their friends. If they had attacked these Hork Bajir their bodies would have been covered in wounds, gashed with teeth marks. But the Hork Bajir looked perfectly normal; except for the fact they were lying on the floor like limp rag dolls. All the sudden out of nowhere, a Hork Bajir stepped out from behind a corner! Rachel opened her mouth to roar when another Hork Bajir tackled her from behind and threw its arm over her mouth. Rachel struggled against the two Hork Bajir, jamming her elbow blade into one of their stomachs but unfortunately missed and hit air. Fortunately actually, when Tobias realized who these Hork Bajir were.  
Rachel chill! He yelled. She stopped struggling. It's the Seers.  
Oh. She said and relaxed. The Hork Bajir removed its arm from around her neck and Rachel straightened up.  
Sorry about that um...thing. She said embarrassedly The Seer nodded.  
"That's quite alright." She said. "We expected it."  
What did you do to them. Tobias gestured to the fallen Hork Bajir.  
"We injected them with a liquid that was meant to be injected into us. It renders the person injected unconscious for an hour, and then you are at mercy to anyone." The Seer they had met before, Har Kley, replied sadly. She looked over to the room they had been imprisoned in.  
"Already one of us has been killed." She said. "We were lucky to get out."  
How did you get out? Rachel asked softly.  
"The same thing we did here." She replied. "Used their weapons against them. But enough questions, we must move on. A group of my peers are already on their way to free your friends."  
Sure enough, Jake, Cassie, Marco and Ax were walking down the hall still in Hork Bajir morph.  
Hey guys. Marco said breezily.  
Um hi. Rachel said annoyed. Ax how long have we been in morph?  
We, he said, gesturing to himself, Cassie, Jake and Marco. Have been in this morph for approximately 4 minutes. You two however, have been in morph for one hour and forty-five minutes.  
Wait, how did you guys demorph? There are cameras everywhere. Rachel asked.  
Not anymore. Marco said gleefully. Our Seer friends helped us out with that.  
"We were able to shut down the system." Said a Seer. "Please morph and remorph if you would like. We're not sure why you must be so secretive but feel free to use that room."  
Rachel and Tobias looked at each other and then went over to their small room.  
Haha, it's like playing seven minutes in heaven. Rachel commented.  
What's that? Tobias asked.  
Um, never mind. Rachel replied. Just morph.  
All of the sudden they heard a huge crash from outside.  
Guys! Came Jake's urgent cry. Get out here now! We got trouble.  
Rachel quickly finished morphing back in Hork Bajir. She looked at Tobias who was still demorphing to hawk.  
Look I can't do too much damage out there unless I morph again, so you go ahead. He said. But be careful. He added quickly  
She nodded and smiled a toothy Hork Bajir smile then barreled out the door.  
  
(A/N I decided we had enough battle scene, so this is what happens after.)  
  
She was crying, shaking by a tree. Her clothes were dirty and torn from running and morphing at the same time. She could not stop the tears that were running down her face. Her breath caught in her throat and she let out a sob. What had happened in there? They had barely escaped with their lives. Rachel didn't even know where the others were. As soon as they had gotten out of that building she ran as fast as she could, trying to get away. She never wanted to experience something like that again. As soon as she had left the room she knew that they were outnumbered. There were at least 30 Hork Bajir standing in front of them, behind them, all around them. Even with the dozen or so Seers it still wouldn't be enough to fight. But they did it anyways. They kept on fighting even when more Hork Bajir reinforcements came. They kept fighting when one of Rachel's blades had been sliced off. They kept fight when Har Kley stepped in front of a Hork Bajir attacking Rachel and...  
"Oh God." Rachel cried. Her cry echoed through out the woods.  
Usually a battle didn't affect Rachel so much. Sure, of course she had nightmares. They all did. But after a good battle she would usually just come home, shake off that unsettling feeling, and crunch some numbers. But that wouldn't happen this time. A creature had died tonight. A creature had died for Rachel. Rachel squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered the wrist blade that had slashed Har Kley's throat, when it had been meant for Rachel's. Rachel let out a strangled cough, and rubbed her arms. It was getting cold which meant she would have to morph soon and find the others. They would probably be worried sick. But for now she couldn't face the others. She felt like she had failed somehow. It wasn't just because they had known Har Kley and now she was dead. Rachel could slash through dozens of Hork Bajir Controllers and not feel a thing. They were nothing to her, just evil. But Har Kley had been a Seer. An intelligent being, and in more ways then one, just like a human. In this every man for himself war, a intelligent human-like creature had died for Rachel. Why hadn't Rachel or the others died for any of the fallen Seers? It didn't seem right.   
A noise behind the tree she was leaning up against made her gasp. She jumped to her feet and spun around, ready to morph grizzly bear and tear whoever, or whatever, was behind that tree to shreds. She tensed as it stepped forward, until she saw who it was and sighed in relief, leaning against a tree, to tired to be mad. Marco.  
"God Rachel, where have you been!" He said angrily. "You just took off after we got out of there and we've been looking for you for..." He trailed off as he saw her tear-streaked face and puffy eyes.  
"I-I," he stuttered. "I'm sorry. Are you okay? I mean, are you hurt or something?"  
Rachel groaned inwardly. She hated Marco seeing her this way. Any of the others she could handle. Cassie was her best friend so it's not like she had never seen Rachel cry. Jake was her cousin, and the same went for him. Tobias would either morph to human and try to comfort her or say something nice from his hawk body. Even Ax would be better then Marco in this situation. Ax would briskly offer his condolences but then would move along. Marco was just confused, he had no idea what to do.  
"Look Marco I'm fine okay?" She said as she wiped her tears away and ran her fingers through her scalp.  
"You don't look okay." He said.  
"I'm fine!" She snapped. "We have to find the others."  
"No listen." He replied. "I'm not an idiot okay? I know something's wrong. But I also know not to push it. Look, Tobias lead the Seers to the Hork Bajir valley, so just go get some rest ok. I'll find the others and tell them you're okay. You are okay now right?"  
"I'm fine." She said again, this time in a barely audible whisper. "How many Seers did we save?"  
"Seven." Marco said.  
Rachel briefly closed her eyes. Seven. There was maybe twelve when they had begun the attack. Almost half of the Seers had died. "Okay then." Marco replied. "You sure you're okay?" Rachel nodded, without opening her eyes. "Well then I'm um gonna go...now..." He said awkwardly.  
He morphed and flew away. Rachel did the same, trying to leave everything she felt behind her. But this, this terrible battle, would stay with her forever.  
  
A/N Well there you go. Sorry I haven't updated forever but we just got our computer fixed and before it wouldn't let me log in and upload! Thanks for reading and please review


	6. Sleep will come

A/N So this is the last chapter of this story. I hope you enjoy it. Rachel was maybe a little OOC in the last chapter but I was trying to show her sensitive side. Even though she is all "fearless" or whatever she still is only human, and I thought the death of something that was vaguely human would upset her, especially if it died for her. Anyways, read on and please review!! :)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the Animorphs but if I did I would make Marco die instead...(heehee)  
  
"A single car accident caused a massive pile up on Highway 26 today. Ten people were killed and sixteen injured. The driver responsible for this horrible tragedy ironically only escaped with a few bruises. She will be tried in a court Tuesday. In other news, the bodies of three women were found who were apparently murdered by this man. Police are still trying to find his-."  
Rachel turned off the TV. She didn't want to hear about any more tragic stories. She had enough of that for one night.  
_Why isn't Har Kley on the news?_ She thought bitterly to herself. _Why aren't we on the news? Four kids, a bird, and an alien fighting to save the world. You'd think that would at least buy us time before the sports.  
_ "Rachel honey? Are you home?"  
Rachel jumped a little and then rolled her eyes. Talk about bringing work home with you. She was starting to act like Marco!  
"Yeah Mom, I'm in here." She called back.  
"Oh good, I need some help putting groceries away." Her Mother called back.  
Rachel got off the couch and walked into the kitchen. She stuck her hand in one of the bags and pulled out a jar of salsa and set it on the table. She picked it up again and looked at the label disgustingly.  
"Mom, this isn't low fat." She complained, and then burst out laughing.  
"What's so funny?" Her mom said smiling, the type of smile that you smile when you have no idea what's going on.  
"No-nothing. Nothing." Rachel said again, catching her breath. The idea that it was the end of the world because the salsa wasn't low fat was so ridiculous. So...normal. All of the sudden Rachel stopped smiling. She felt like she was going to throw up.  
"Rachel what's wrong?" Her mother asked, worried. "You look like you're about to be sick. Are you okay?"  
She was so tired of being asked that.  
"I'm fine. I just- look I need to go to bed, can you put the rest away?" She asked.  
"Well sure. You just hurry up to bed and I'll come check on you in five minutes. Are you sure you're okay?" Her mom asked again.  
"Yeah." Rachel smiled weakly, then turned and walked up the stairs before her mom could ask her any more questions. Right now all she needed was a hot bath and a soft pillow. All she needed was to forget.  
  
_Flash! The Hork Bajir's arm blade slashing through Cassie's gut. She yelps in anguish. Flash! Tobias falls from the sky like a rock. Rachel screams. Flash! Rachel's fight with the Hork Bajir. It's wrist blade coming towards her. Rachel cringes in reflex. All of the sudden a figure comes in front of her and blocks her view, but she can still hear the blade slitting the throat and the slight gag that comes from Har Kley's mouth. Rachel, stunned, cannot act until she sees the killer Hork Bajir coming towards her. She screams out in rage and slashes him again and again and again. He falls in front of her; his arm hit Har Kley's no longer rising chest. Rachel looks around wildly. No one has seen. Flash! Marco punches a Hork Bajir in the chest and narrowly dodges as its arms flail out to keep its balance. The Hork Bajir struggles to get up but Jake is suddenly on him, tearing his flesh with his strong teeth. Flash! The wrist blade coming at Rachel. The groan of Har Kley. Flash! Ax's tail blade slicing over and over again. Flash! Har Kley falling, falling to the ground. The wrist blade slashing, slashing, slashing...  
  
_ Rachel threw herself up out of the sleeping position. In a split second with years of experience she grabbed a pillow from the side of her bed and shoved it against her mouth while letting out a muffled scream. Breath pushed out of her lungs as she remembered the dream, one of by far the worst. Rachel closed her eyes briefly, trying to get rid of the images in her head. An acid taste was creeping into her mouth and an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She swallowed, and then noticed an outline of a hawk at her open window. In seconds, the dream came flooding back to her, the image of Tobias falling.... Rachel gasped and lurched forward. Her hand flew to her mouth and ran out of the room, her eyes leaving Tobias'.  
  
He had been watching her. Tobias was glad that Rachel seemed to be sleeping; he knew she didn't get enough rest. The only thing that bothered him was how she was tossing and turning.   
A groan escaped her throat and a gasp followed. Tobias flapped closer, worried. All of the sudden she sat up straight, grabbed a pillow, and screamed into it. Definitely a reflex movement. Her eyes moved around wildly for a moment but then they closed. After about ten seconds they snapped open and she seemed to notice him, but she was frowning. All of the second her face contorted into pure horror and she bounded off the bed, breaking their eye contact. Tobias flew as fast as he could and followed her through the window.  
  
Rachel threw open the door to her bathroom and fell to her knees, barely crawling to the toilet in time to shove up the seat and force her head over the rim. She threw up and cried at the same time. After the third time, she vaguely realized two things. Tobias was in her bathroom, perched on the sink looking as sympathetic as he possibly could and the second was her mother's footsteps down the hall. Wiping her mouth, she whipped her head around to the sink.   
"Get behind the shower curtain." She hissed at him. "My mom's coming."   
As if called, Rachel's mom opened the door, just as Tobias flew behind the curtain. Rachel quickly shut it.   
"Rachel, honey are you okay?" She paused seeing Rachel's sweaty forehead and pale complexion, then looked into the toilet. "Oh baby."   
"I had a nightmare." Rachel gasped. "I can't even remember it!" A lie of course.   
"Oh Rach, are you okay?"   
Rachel took a deep breath in and reached up to flush the toilet. She shakily stood up.  
"Yeah I'm fine Mom."   
"Are you sure?" Naomi asked. "I can call the doctor in the morning..." she trailed off.   
"No, I'll go to school. Just go back to bed, k?"   
Her mom gently pushed the hair back from her face and nodded.   
"You call me if you need anything."   
Rachel nodded, and her mother left the bathroom. She went over to the sink and splashed water on her face and gurgled some water. Finally she heard her Mom's door close and she opened the shower curtain. Without a word, she opened up the door and walked out.   
You okay? Tobias asked. He sounded worried. Rachel nodded, unable to answer him. She got some clean sheets out of the pantry and went back into the bedroom. She waited until Tobias came in and perched on her desk; then closed the door. She began to strip the sheets.  
What did you dream about? He asked. She bundled the dirty sheets into a corner and remade the bed.   
"The battle tonight. Er, yesterday." She replied, looking at the clock.   
Marco said you were pretty spooked afterward, he didn't say why though.   
"That's because I didn't tell him."   
Oh.   
Rachel sighed. "Look Tobias I really don't want to talk about this right now. I'll tell you in the morning, maybe. Now turn around."   
Huh?   
Rachel sighed again, this time more in disgust. "I'm going to change, dimwit."   
Oh. He hopped around on the desk and she shed her clothes, changing into fresh ones. She went over and sat on her bed. Hearing the sagging springs, Tobias turned around.   
Well, I can see you need sleep, so I should probably...   
"Oh." She seemed surprised. "Could you, maybe, sit with me for awhile. Morph?" She asked tentatively She seemed shy.   
He didn't even reply. He simply morphed into human and rummaged around Rachel's bottom drawer of her dresser until he found some old clothes of Jakes'. She was already in her bed when he turned around. She slid over and made space for him, patting the spot next to her.  
_ Is this really happening?_ Tobias thought incredously to himself.   
He slid onto her mattress and she burrowed closer to him. Forcing him to lie down on her pillow, and put his arm around her. Tobias wasn't really used to this kind of closeness, but with Rachel he could definitely deal.   
"You okay?" He whispered. She lifted her head from his chest and smiled.   
"I am so sick of people asking me that." She told him.   
"Good enough for me." He smiled. Her head sunk lazily back into his chest. After awhile her breath became more even and slower. Air came out of her mouth instead of her nose. Tobias stayed as long as he could, never wanting this moment to end. Finally, after what seemed like both forever and only a few minutes, his time was up. He gently slid his arm out from under her head and let her head lie on the pillow. Leaning closer to her face, he pressed his lips against her forehead, a very out of character act for him. He then stood up and shed his clothing and immediately following that he morphed to hawk.   
He was about to flap out of the room when he groaned inwardly to himself. Rachel wasn't fully covered with the blanket. So he flapped over to her bed, being careful not to disturb her, and pulled up the blanket around her shoulders with his beak. Tough work, but worth it. Then he flew out of the window and perched on her window. He watched her until the sun slowly began to rise out of the night. He watched her until dawn broke out. Her watched her, yet never noticed the slight smile on her face that stayed with her through the night. Even through out all the pain and suffering, Rachel had found her lifesaver. And finally, she slept.  
  
THE END!  
  
A/N YAYAY! Well that's it folks, at least for this story. Thank you SO much for reading and for those of you who reviewed. I really appreciate it! Writing this first fan fic was a wonderful experience, and you should expect to see more...In fact, I'm thinking of writing one called "I will survive." It will probably be rated R, and I'm not sure if those show up on the first page, so make sure to check it out! Please review!


End file.
